{"id":3395,"date":"2014-04-25T15:14:52","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T19:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3395"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:13:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:13:07","slug":"zeus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3395","title":{"rendered":"Zeus (by LC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Thunderstorms can be scary things. . .unless one has a big brother to make it better. A prequel. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K\u00a0 (1,100 words)
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Zeus<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cA-dum! A-dum, wake up!\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m slowly pulled out of blissful slumber and the drums in my head gradually fade into the reality of rolling thunder and driving rain. I start to rise out of habit, but then remember with gratitude Pa\u2019s new rule forbidding me from riding herd at night. Sometimes the worst of incidents have the best of results. Assured that I can\u2019t possibly help anyway, I snuggle deeper into my blankets, seeing no reason to lose sleep over the matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA-dum! Zeus is comin\u2019! He\u2019s gonna git me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh yeah, that\u2019s why I\u2019m awake. With a moan of protest, I roll over, just as a flash of lightning illuminates the room, making my two year-old brother\u2019s green eyes glow. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d I murmur sleepily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA-dum, Zeus is comin\u2019,\u201d Joe repeats, his voice and lip trembling in unison. \u201cCan I hide wif you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before I can answer he\u2019s clambered onto the bed and is nestling in beside me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFanks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He still hasn\u2019t mastered the \u2018th\u2019 sound, but I resist the urge to correct him. Marie thinks it\u2019s cute, and I\u2019m inclined to agree. Besides, he\u2019ll grow out of it. \u201cJoe, I told you, those stories aren\u2019t real,\u201d I soothe the shivering bundle next to me. \u201cThey\u2019re just pretend, just. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cM-m-myths, right?\u201d Hoss\u2019 voice sounds from the doorway. Even at eight he\u2019s deathly afraid of loud noises, so I\u2019m not too surprised to see him. \u201cHey, Adam, can I . . .?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I smile to myself as sleep finally lets go of the last pieces of my mind. \u201cSure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss jumps into the bed, and we all yelp in unison. Joe and Hoss because of a particularly loud thunderbolt, I because my brother\u2019s feet are icy cold. Then the room is quiet for awhile except for the pelting rain, the boom of thunder, and the occasional startled cry. When Joe speaks, his voice is almost lost in the drone of rain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA-dum?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d I reply, glad to hear that Joe sounds calmer than before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo Zeus eat peoples?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I inwardly groan and swear never to use Greek myths as bedtime stories again. \u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. What do he eat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAmbrosia and nectar.\u201d Joe doesn\u2019t say anything, and I hope maybe he\u2019ll think about that long enough to lull him to sleep. Hoss dashes my hopes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that stuff, Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm, I\u2019m not sure how to explain it.\u201d He\u2019s always liked it when I\u2019m honest with him. Maybe it\u2019ll work now?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean you don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not like that. It\u2019s just that I can\u2019t describe it to you.\u201d I rack my brain, trying not to tarnish my \u2018all-knowing big brother\u2019 image. I\u2019ve got it. \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to describe apple pie to someone who\u2019s never tasted it. You know how it tastes, but it\u2019s too hard to put it into words.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho hasn\u2019t had apple pie?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nice save, Adam.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThat\u2019s a good question, Hoss. You\u2019ll have to ask Mama in the morning.\u201d He seems satisfied, and for awhile we lie still and listen to the rain and the wind and the thunder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam?\u201d Hoss finally asks quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thunder ain\u2019t as loud from your bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVat\u2019s \u2018cause Zeus is scared\u2019a A-dum.\u201d Joe wiggles closer to me, if that\u2019s possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

I chuckle softly, reminded yet again of how much I love Joe. \u201cYup. And he should be. You know what I\u2019d do if he tried to get either of you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sheets rustle as both of my brothers shake their heads.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d\u00a0wrestle<\/em>\u00a0him to the ground and beat him up so fast that he wouldn\u2019t know what hit him! Then I\u2019d throw him up\u00a0sooo<\/em>\u00a0high that he wouldn\u2019t come down \u2018til October!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s barely breathed admiration almost makes me feel guilty for the whopper I\u2019ve just told. Almost.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you said that Zeus was so big couldn\u2019t nobody beat \u2018im?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for your support, dear Hoss.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA-dum stronger dan Zeus, Hossie. A-dum stronger dan\u00a0anybody<\/em>!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe throws his arms wide to demonstrate the awesome limitlessness of the anybody that I can beat and his chubby hand smacks against my right eye. I don\u2019t feel like complaining. If I\u2019m invincible, it doesn\u2019t really matter, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Joe. But don\u2019t you think Pa is stronger than I am?\u201d My conscience is starting to protest at instigating my brother\u2019s worship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah. Pa, den A-dum.\u201d Joe\u2019s tone is emphatic, and it\u2019s almost as if he\u2019s saying \u2018I\u2019m tired of your silly questions. You obviously aren\u2019t intelligent enough to understand, so just trust me.\u2019 Just the thought of such long words coming from such a tiny body makes me laugh. Hoss giggles too, and soon the entire bed is trembling with the side-splitting laughter that only comes when exhaustion finally washes over frazzled nerves.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we at last reach the point where none of us can breathe, we listen to the rain again. After a minute I find that I\u2019m counting silently between each flash of lightning and the answering rumble. The storm\u2019s moved pretty far away, and when I reach twenty before the thunder rolls, I hear Hoss sigh faintly. He must\u2019ve been counting too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The room\u2019s peaceful now, and I suppose my brothers have drifted off to sleep. I guess I should too, but my mind is busy, flitting around from thought to thought in honey-bee fashion. Joe\u2019s elbow is poking into my stomach, and I can just distinguish the silhouette of his fist protruding from his mouth and the soft sucking sounds he\u2019s making. Hoss is snoring softly, reaffirming my assumption that he\u2019s asleep. He\u2019s the only eight year-old I\u2019ve ever known to snore, and I wonder how anyone will sleep once he grows to full size.<\/span><\/p>\n

I feel the familiar sleepy haze filling my brain and I\u2019m finally ready to submit to it, knowing that my family is safe and sound. I\u2019ve closed my eyes and am almost out when I hear the door open gently and hear Pa\u2019s boots crossing the room. A chair scrapes the floor and then squeaks as my father sits. He leans against the mattress and the bed gives a groan of protest and then suddenly there\u2019s a sharp crack and all four of us land on the floor with a thud. I guess I forgot to tell Pa to fix the bed frame yesterday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cZeus!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Thunderstorms can be scary things. . .unless one has a big brother to make it better. A prequel. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K\u00a0 (1,100 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":1231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,4,30],"tags":[14,17,16],"class_list":["post-3395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-humor","category-prequels","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-hoss","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1496,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/storm.jpg?fit=615%2C407&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12147,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12147","url_meta":{"origin":3395,"position":0},"title":"He Said Not To Tell (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"May 1, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"The author requests those who wish to read this series contact her via eMail: DLB1234@aol.com","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1-joe.jpg?fit=238%2C226&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12120,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12120","url_meta":{"origin":3395,"position":1},"title":"Blundered Seduction (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"December 1, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Caught with his pants down and in a compromising situation by the one person he'd least likely want to find him as such, Joe learns three valuable lessons; no one ever died of embarrassment, chose your friends carefully, and being 16 and still a virgin is nothing to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13630,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13630","url_meta":{"origin":3395,"position":2},"title":"A Cry for Freedom (by JennieA)","author":"JennieA","date":"January 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 It started with Ben giving Little Joe more responsibility for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Little did the family realize the course Ben was setting in motion. 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Rating:\u00a0 R\u00a0 (33,760) Due to the subject matter contained in this series, the stories are only available via e:mail from the author -- ryjennie@comcast.net","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/4Cs.jpg?fit=400%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22994,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=22994","url_meta":{"origin":3395,"position":4},"title":"Jeremiah (by Hart4Ben)","author":"Hart4Ben","date":"June 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Hoss has an unusual gift for Little Joe. A prequel challenge piece. 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